'Speed Net' service from Aug.

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 19. The Department of Posts will launch a value- added service for customers of Speed Post next month to `track and trace' their articles within India and abroad online.

"Speed Net" is currently undergoing trials to test the in-house web-enabled software developed by the Technology Centre at Mysore. Developed for the Windows environment, the package will be initially launched in 120 national centres of Speed Post across the country. An amount of Rs. 8 crores has so far been invested on the hardware.

Customers can track the movement and delivery of their Speed Post articles, each of which will have a 13-digit code, on the Internet or contact the nearest centre. In case the article is held up or delayed en route, the Department will inform the customer about the reasons and take necessary action. As many as 20 articles can be tracked at one time and 1,000 in case of corporate customers whose computers will be loaded with a different software.

Announcing this at a news conference here on Thursday, Mr. John Samuel, Additional General Manager, Business Development Directorate, said the new facility was part of the Department's efforts to bring innovative products to benefit the customer and a step forward from computerisation to leveraging the strength of Internet. The Department was currently offering passport services, datapost and had forged alliances with the IDBI, ICICI and SBI Mutual Fund for customer orientation.

Started in 1986, the Speed Post network now spans 800 domestic and 97 international destinations. It yielded the loss-making Department Posts a revenue of Rs. 282 crores in 2000-01, up from Rs. 103 crores in 1997-98, at an annual average growth of 44 per cent.

Mr. Samuel said Speednet service would be available in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Kurnool and Tirupati in the beginning. Customers could avail of the facility of collection of Speed Post articles at their doorstep by dialling 460 0009 or 461 7013 or e-mailing to spchyd@speedpost.org. Mr. M. D. Dayal, Chief Postmaster General, AP Circle, was also present.

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